Gun ownership comes with the responsibility to secure your guns, especially when you are not home. Your guns represent your freedom, but in the hands of thieves they can be used to perpetrate evil upon innocent people. Enter the Liberty Safes American made solution.

I think you will find the Liberty Safe main website is the best place for researching these safes. It has clear information on model upgrades and several VIDEOS available.

Before we get started, lets review a few gun safe buying basics:
• Size – Conventional wisdom is to buy bigger than you need – in all likelihood, you will buy more guns over time so take that into account. I recommend going as big as you can squeeze in and afford otherwise you may end up needing to buy another one down the road. Also keep in mind that it’s very likely that you won’t be able to store as many guns in the safe as the manufacturer states in their marketing materials.
• Fire Rating – for me I took a look at potential response times from the fire department and doubled it and used that as a benchmark for what I need.
• Security – a simple lock will keep your friends out, but a criminal with some time on their hands needs to be stopped in their tracks. Generally speaking, more active locking bolts = better security. The same goes for the thickness of the steel used in the walls, door, and bolts.
• Warranty – Liberty has a Lifetime Warranty on the safe and 5 years on the lock and paint job.
• Lock – tumbler dials are the industry standard, though electronic versions tend to be more convenient. If you decide on an electronic lock, check that there is an easy way to replace the batteries or access the safe when the batteries die.
• Interior – look closely at upholstery quality and configuration options to be sure they meet your needs.
• Extra Features – this would be lighting, colors, jewelry drawers, document holders, door organizers, power inside the safe for a dehumidifier, etc.

Liberty’s Lincoln 50:
I spent several months researching gun safes online and looking at them at various dealers. In the end, I decided on the Lincoln Series from Liberty Safes due to wide range of available features. I wanted a Franklin 35 at minimum, but once I looked at the “minor” price difference, additional features and a nearly 50% increase in interior cubic feet, I had to go with the Lincoln 50. I am very glad I went with the larger model as I have plenty of room for expansion later.

Safe Highlights:
• #1 rated safe in America and I can see why; it is feature packed, strong, and an American made beauty.
• The 4-in-1 flex interior has adjustable shelves allowing for countless configurations depending upon your needs. Whether you own all long-guns, a mix of long-guns and handguns, or no long-guns at all, it’s easy to change.
• Premium accessory door panel – I really like this feature, it has 10 “quick draw” pocket holsters, 2 cool pockets that keep items even cooler (important document storage). Additionally, it has various other zipper and stretch pockets including some for small items such as extra choke tubes. As a note – the pocket holsters have a soft interior in them to protect the handgun’s finish. Keep in mind that if you have very large handguns or scoped models, they won’t fit.
• 90 minute fire rating with expanding Palusol fire seal on the door – this should handle most fire scenarios and slow fire department response times and gives me the safety I was after.
• Auto on/off halogen light system – this works great and provides far better lighting than anticipated.
• Dehumidifier included – easy install allows you to cut cord length to suit your retentive nature.
• Extra outlet on the interior even after you plug-in dehumidifier and lights, quality exterior cord too.
• Jewelry drawer – well fellas, this is for ‘The Bride’ and might help make the sale, if not, toss it out!
• Plush pin dot velour interior – quality throughout and looks sweet.
• 5-spoke handle – over the standard 3 spoke, I just like the looks.
• 16 door bolts that are 1 ¼” long on all 4 sides of the door – when this baby is locked, it’s locked – no novice will get into it. If you extend the bolts while the door is open, it will not close which keeping you from marring the exterior finish.
• Several colors and finishes (textured, marbled and gloss) to choose from, I chose the green gloss and the brass finished hardware (chrome and black chrome also available), this has the large corner scrolls and pinstripe, which really looks nice.
• The traditional Liberty safe logo screams American pride, please see photos below.
• Comes in 3 sizes – 25, 35 and 50 gun models.

Security Highlights:
• Ball bearing hard plate – if they try to drill into critical areas it will either cause the drill to just spin or break the bit off.
• Ball-bearing hinges with inner steel plate – this door is big, heavy and smooth.
• Door is 5” thick with 1” composite – tough to attempt to pry open.
• 11 gauge steel – .1196”, which is a tad under 1/8” thick
• Sargent & Greenleaf combination lock is standard, electronic optional – electronic allows you to change you code easily and opens a lot faster.
• Pre-drilled for holes to bolt the safe down – bolt kit is an additional accessory

Rated Capacity & Size:
• 41 long-guns – realize that this is a best case scenario. Pistol grips and optics quickly eat up space
• Exterior dimensions, including handle – 72.5″ x 42″ x 30.5″ (27.5” w/o handle)
• 28 cubic foot interior
• 1125 pounds – it’s big & heavy – Keep this in mind for delivery and placement. Unless you’re just dropping it in a garage and putting in a corner, get professional installation. If it is going inside make certain the floor/support is sufficient to handle this weight. Placing near load bearing walls or adding additional bracing/support may be advisable.

Summary:
Liberty Safes are well worth the investment as these are feature packed safes that are quality constructed by an American company. The flexibility and size were key selling points for me and the fire rating and additional security features provide the extra level of safety I was looking for.

Additional Buying Notes:
Liberty has quarterly specials and larger dealers can also get factory seconds, but you have to ask and find the right dealer. There are other specials out there such as free basic delivery or electronic lock upgrades. Shop around, ask questions and find the right dealer for you, I did and it was a pleasure.